Google has released a new app for children on its online video service YouTube called ‘YouTube Kids’.
The app will run on all devices from smartphones to tablets and will feature original episodes of popular television shows for pre-schoolers, including “Thomas the Tank Engine” and “Sesame Street,” and other contents form the kids-safe channel.
This app is expected to be free and will be separate from the mainstream YouTube mobile app and will include features for parents as well. The parents’ features include things like a timer so as to limit how many videos children are able to watch.
The YouTube will run under the Android platform. In launching an app aimed at children, Google will have had to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. Among other COPPA rules, websites that cater to children must notify parents if they collect personal information.
